D-homo-17alpha(20)-pregnenes



United States Patent ice 2,789,998 D-HOM-17a(20)-PREGNENES Raymond 0. Clinton, North Greenbush Township, Rensselaer County, N. Y.,-assiguor to Sterling Drug Inc., New York, N. Y., a corporation of Delaware No Drawing. .Application October 18, 1954,-

Serial No. 463,056

8 Claims. (Cl.260-'-488) This invention relates to new compounds of the per-' hydrochrysene series (D homosteroids) and to a process for their preparation. More particularly the invention relates to compounds having the formula.

20 21 CHCHrOR wherein X: and X: are selected from the class consisting of and H OH -OAcyl and R is selected from the class consisting of hydrogen and acyl groups.

My new compounds are primarily useful as intermediates for the preparation of compounds having cortical hormone-like activity. For example, the compounds of Formula I can be reacted with osmium tetroxide in the presence of acetic anhydride to give a 20,21-diacetoxy compound bearing a hydroxy group in the Nae-position. The 20- and 21-acetoxy groups can be saponified and then selectively acetylated to give the 2l-monoacetoxy derivative which can then be oxidized with chromic oxide to give the typical cortical hormone side chain. These reactions are summarized below:

Some of the compounds of the invention also possess useful biological activity per se in that they exhibit antagonistic effects on the physiological response to cortisone.

In the above general Formula I, the groups represented by X and X' may be the same or different in any given compound- Hydroxy voracyloxy groups in the 3-.

2,789,998 Patented Apr. 23, 19 57- present, the nature of the acyl group is not critical as I it is used only as a blockin'g'or protecting means for the hydroxy group. The preferred, types of 'acyl groups are those derived from carboxylic acids of relatively low.

molecular weight, i. e., containing from one to about eight carbon atoms, including inter alia lower-alkanoic acids, lower-aliphatic dicarboxylic acids, andmonocyclic The compounds of Formula II are obtained as described in my copending U. S. application, Serial No. 384,325, filed October 5, 1953, and now abandoned, and in my copending application, Serial No.-475,810, filed Decem-" ber 16, 1954, which is a continuation-in-part of said. application, Serial No. 384,325. The rearrangement is eifected by heating a compound of Formula II with a strong acid in the presence of a lower-alkanoic acid anhydride. A compound of Formula I where R is the lower-alkanoyl group derived from the anhydride used is produced. If a free hydroxy group is present at the 3-position this will also be acylated during the process.- A free hydroxy group at the ll-position will also-be acylated if it is in the tat-configuration but not if it is in the fl-configuration. A preferred strong acid for the rearrangement is trichloroacetic acid, although other acids such as sulfuric, phosphoric or benzenesulfonic acid can also be employed.

An alternative procedure for carrying out the same transformation comprises reacting a compound of Formula II with phosphorus tribromide, and then reacting the resulting 2l-bromo compound having the side chain,

andll-positions can be in either the aor fi-configura'tion In compounds of Formula I where OAcylgroupshre =CHCHzBr, with a metallic acylate, e. g. sodium acetate.

The compounds of Formula I wherein R is hydrogen are prepared by saponification of the compounds wherein R is acyl. The compounds wherein R is hydrogen can' in turn be reacylated to introduce any desired acyl group;

by reacting them with'an acid, acid 'anhydride or acid 3 halide according to conventional esterification procedures. I

The following examples will further illustrate the invention, but the latter is not restricted thereto.

ama

A solution of 1.147 g. of Se-Jacemxy-1 7aaviny1-D- homoetiocholan-17aB-ol-1l-one, M. P. 219-221" C.

[ X s L-OCOGH:

in 8.0 ml. of 90-95% acetic anhydride was prepared by warmingon a steam bath for one hour. 'There was then added a solution of 1.6 g. of trichloroacetic acid 'in 3.0 ml. of' glacial acetic acid, and the reaction mixture was heated at "66 'C. for seventy-five minutes.' After standing at room temperature for about fifteen hours, the reaction mixture was diluted with 300 ml. of water, exmeted with ether, and the ether extracts were washed with'500 ml. of 5% sodium hydroxidelsolutio n and with water, dried over anhydrous sodium sulfate and concentrated in vacuo; The -residue was" dissolved "in 100ml. of 80% methanol, 20 ml. of 5% potassium carbonate solution was added and the mixture was refluxed for one hour. The reaction mixture was neutralized with dilute hydrochloric acid, concentrated to remove the methanol, the concentrate stirred with" an equal volume'of ice-water, and the solid product 'Wascoll'eo'ted by filtration and dried, giving about 1.04 g. of D-homo-17a(20) pregn'e n- 3eg2l-diol ll-one, M. P. 232-235 C."

-The total saponified product thus obtained was combined with like material obtained from anot her' run derived'from 3.89 g. of the 17aa-vinyl compound and heated with 50 m1. of 90-95% acetic anhydride and 50 ml. of pyridine on a steam bath for thirty minutes. The reaction mixture was poured" into one liter of ice-water to which 15 ml. of concentrated sulfuric acid had been added. After standing for three hours, the aqueous mixture was extracted with ether, and the ether extracts were washed with water and sodium bicarbonate solution and concentrated. The residue was dissolved in 350 ml. of hot petroleum ether (Skellysolve B)" which was diluted with 350 ml. of lower-boiling petroleum ether (Skellysolve A), and chromatographed on a column of 75 g. of silica. gel. The column was eluted with ether-petroleum ether/(Skellysolve A) mixtures of gradually increasing ether content. The material (4.231 g.) brought out by 20 ether was recrystallized twice from petroleum ether (Skellysolve B), giving 311,21 diacetoxy D homo- 17a(20)-pregnen-11-one, M. P. 111.5116'.5 C. (corr.), [a] =53.10 (1% in chloroform).

Analysis.-Calcd. for CzsHsaOs: C. 72.52; -H, 8.90. Found: C, 72.40; H, 8.78.

Ozoniz'ation of 3u,21-diacetoxy-D-homo-17a(20)-pregnen-ll-one gave 3ot-acetoxy-D-homoetiocholane-11,17adione, M. P. 167-168 C.', identical with an authentic sample. prepared by another'method, as described in my copending application, Serial-No. 333,615, filed January 27, 1953. This proved that 3a,2l-diacetoxy-D-homo- 17a(20)-.pregnen-11-one had the assigned exocyclic structure.

EXAMPLE 2 Xfis O, is

Thepetroleum ether mother liquors from the recrystallization of 3a,21-diacetoxy-D-homo-17a( 20)-pre'gnen-1 1- one; in Example lwere concentrated, and the residue was refluxed-for.one hour with-100 ml. off-80% methanol containing :3 .g. .of potassium carbonate: '--The' reaction mixture was neutralized with dilutehydrochloric acid, concentrated to remove the methanol, the 're'sid'ueiwas diluted with water, andthe solid product was collected by filtration and dried at .70"v C. giving 1.8 g. of D-homo- 17a(20)-pregnene-3a,21-diol-1l-one, M. P. 244-246 C. After recrystallization. from methanoland drying at 110 C. in vacuo for eight hours, a sample had the M. P. 2371-52455? CI-(corr.), '[u] =-24.4" (1% in acetic ac1 4 Analysis.--Calcd. ,for (3221-12403: C, 76.25; H, 9.89. Found: C, 76.22; H, 9.70

D-homo-17a(20)-pregnene-3a,20-diol-1l-one was found to have appreciable antagonistic effects on the physiological response of adrenalectomized rats to cortisone as measured by liver glycogen deposition tests.

EXAMPLE 3 3 x21 diacetmy-D-homo-l 7a(20;)-pregne n-11-one I;XisH XisQRisCOCH:

-OCOCHi I A solution of 17.0 g. of trichloroacetic acid and 31 ml. of glacial acetic acidwas added at 61 C. to a solution of 12.1 g. of 3, a-acetoxy-17aa-viny1-Dhomoetiocholanl7afi-ol-11one in 87 ml. of 90-95% acetic anhydride. The reaction mixture was warmed at 6062 C. with stirring for one and one-half hours, then kept about fifteen hours at room' temperature and added to 1.5 liters of water. After'two hours the mixture was extracted with ether, and the ether extracts were washed with water, 5% sodium hydroxide solution and again with water, dried over anhydrous sodium sulfate and concentrated. The residue was dissolved in 75 ml. of petroleum ether (Skellysolve B), seeded with a small quantity of the desired product, and the solid material which separated was collected by filtration, recrystallized from petroleum ether and dried at 70 C., giving 9.8 'gfof 3a,2l-diacetoxy-D- homo-17a(20)-pregnen l1-one, M. P. 110-112' C. (uncorr.

EXAMPLE 4 30:,21 diacetoxy D homo 17a(20) pregnen 11- D.-homoetiocholan-17a t-ol-1l-one, M. P. zoos-202.5 C., a stereoisomer of the starting material used in Examples 1 and 3, 1.6 g. of trichloroacetic acid, 8 ml. of 95% acetic anhydride and 3 ml. of glacial acetic acid according to the manipulative procedure described above infExarnple 3. There. was thus obtainedi3a,2l-diacetoxy- D-homo-17a(20) -pregnen-11-one, M. P. 109-111" C. (uncorr.).

According to the procedure described in the preceding examples, 30:,110: diacetoxy 17am: vinyl D homoetiocholan-17aB-ol llaXls lill X is'H L-OCOCET: eQCOCHs M. P. 171-175 C. (corr.), v[t:t] =2.2" (1% in chloroform), can be converted to 3a,11a,21-triacetoxy-D- homo-17a(20),-pregnen e [1;XisH X'isH RisCOCHa 000011; -OCOOH; which can be saponified to give D-homo-17a(20)-pregnene-3 a, l 10:,2141101 [1;XisH XisH RisH] --OH "on 3uac etoxy-17a-vinyl-D-homoetiocholane-1 118,17a-dio1 [mxisn H "tim 1 "000cm -on M. P. 1655-168" C. (corr.), [a] =+63.3 (1% in chloroform), can be converted to 3a,21-diacetoxy-D- homo-17a (20)-pregnen-1 119-01 I;X isH XisI I ,RiSCOCHQ] g -i ewhich can be; saponified. to give D-homo-17a(20) -pregnen-3o,'11;3,21-triol COCHa], which can be saponified to give D-horno- 17a(20)-pregnen-21-ol-3,1l-dione [1; X is O, X is O, Ris H].

I claim: 1. A compound having the formula AeylO wherein acyl is a member of the group consisting of loweralkanoyl, carboxy-lower-alkanoyl and monocarbocyclic aroyl radicals.

3. A 3,21-diacetoxy-D-h0mo-17a(20)-pregnen-1I-one having the formula CHCHaO C OCH:

CHsCOO 4. A D-homo17a(20)-pregnene-3,21-diol-1l-one having the formula CHCHIOH 5. D homo 17a(20) pregnene 3a,21 diol 11- one.

6. D homo 17a(20) pregnene 3a,11a,21 triol.

7. D homo 17a(20) pregnene 311,115,21 triol.

8. D homo 17a(20) pregnene 21- 01- 3,11 dione.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Colton et al Nov. 9, 1954 OTHER REFERENCES Dimroth: Ber. Deutu Chem. 71B (1938), 1336-7. Simonsen et al.: The Terpenes, vol. 1, 2nd ed. (1953), pp. 63-64. 

1. A COMPOUND HAVING THE FORMULA 